The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-30
4 GOOD COTTON CLEANER
THE INVENTION OF
AND EXPERIENCED MAN.
Graphic Description Of q Well Man.
aged PlantatiOn-N0tes on
the Cotton Crop.
IocRREsroxDEscK or TIE ArPEAL.I


PINE BLUFF, ARK, March 26.-Your
correspondent today visited the cele-
brated Richardson Place." seventeen
miles east of here, on the Pine Bluff
and Swan Lake railroad. 1t has
quite a history. It was settled origin
ally in 1886 by DR.. Deske, OF the cele-
brated Desba family OF Kentucky.
DR.. Deshs was a cultivated man and
fond Of society, and soon tied OF
monotonous farm life in the then
wilds OF Arkansas. To leave the
country he sold the place ct a nominal
price to Col. Ben Richardson, n OF
the best c~ultivators Of cotton in the
South, q man of superior judgment
and enviable social qualities. Mr..
Richardson, through the assistance of
Mr.. Msrst al, a capitalist of Nstchtk,
Miss, stocked the place with negroes
and commenced to improve it. He
made gigantic crops for a series of
years and realized q fortune. The
war came on and shed its blight on
the fortunes OF Mr.. Richardson. he
Wa3 too advanced in years to adapt
himself to The new methods and failure
and disaster aH aited him. O. N.
Neel, president of the FIRST Ma
ional Bal AZ, advanced liberally to
Mr.. Richardson, ard was still
willing further to assist and hold HIM
up. But Richardson clearly discerned
that he could not carry such a lead Of
debt, constantly accumulating, and he
voluntarily turned the plantation I've
to Mr.. Neil, bought a little home at
Hot Springs, and fingered and died in
poverty, his death evoking profound
sorrow wherever t. veteran planter
was known. Mr.. Nsil conducted the
plantation successfully for two or
three years, and greatly improved it,
using convict and other lab;r. Over
q year ego he leased it for five years to
Capt. N. G. Senpett, one of the most
e%nterprisirg AID successful planters
in the country. He pays $l2,500 per
annum, or f62, 800 for the period OF five
years. 1t would appear from this out
Jay, and the expenses incident to feed
ing and hire of several hundred la
borers and the care of so much stock,
that not much margin would be left
for pre- fits 10 Capt Sennett. But he
has been eminently successful the
rast year. Fifteen hundred bales of
cotton, the yield of the place, repre-
cents q vast sum Of money. In a con-
tingepoy Cap. Sennett holds in re-
serve his own plantation, which pro-
due, 500 Ia 90 of cotton. Mr.. Neil
unfortunately became embarrassed
and mor'g'gsd the Richardson, place
to the late CO.. Ed Richardson, of
Nv O1ssns, the la'gnst cotton pro-
ducsr in the South. 1t is said that the
representatives of his estate will en-
deavor to enforce their lien. The
Bank OF Commerce Of st. Louis holds
Capt. Sennett's rental notes, Endorsed
by Neil, and complicated litigation
will grow out Of the matter. In no
event can Capt. Sennett be disturbed
in his possession until the expiration
OF his five year lease. The Richard
son place is considered one of the
most valuable plantations in the South.
The tract contains 5000 acres, 2300
in cultivation, is naturally drained.
1t ia all in a body and every t Jot of it
is tillable.
The 'a't three weeks has beenfsvor-
able for farming operations. The
farmers are about two weeks behind.
Their pecuniary condition is better
than it has been for years.
While at the Richardson plaza 1t
was my good fortune to witness the
trial experiment. Cf Coleman's new
cotton cleaner. Cjl. W. o. Coleman,
the inventor and ~patentee, was a gal
liant Confederate colonel during the
war, and is an able machinist. He
has baen working on his c'eaner for
several years, and lar at length per-
fected his machine. He proposes to
establish a factory here for their man
ufacture, as wood is much cheaper
here than at Richmond, where he for
merly made them. He proposes also
a bach at G.eenville, Miss. The in
crease of the volume of the staple is
wonderful, as related by the report
below OF the most respectable and re-.
liable planters in the county.
INV GAsooYYY, ARK, March %, 1887.
We, the undersigned planters of
B0gg township, were present at a test
of Coleman's 10 cotton cleaner on
the plantation of Capt. M. G Sennett,
March 26, 1887. In the trial We had
two lots OF $50 pounds each of very
and dirty seed cotton ginned.
One lot we had cleaned, the other
.uncleaned, both ginned on the
Esg'e Huller gins. From the
cleaned cotton the net weight
was ninety.two pounds Of lint cotton;
from the unGleaned the net weight OF
lint was eighty-nine pounds. We ad-
judged that there Ws5 at least q half
cent per pound increase on thu value
OF the cotton cleaned over unclaimed.
There was not loss by dropping OF
seed cotton or other to apparent.
The machine is drawn by one belt and
seems to be run by very light power.
We would favcrably recommend this
e to the planting public.
JOHN NJ. Oracle,
W. j. BAKER,
t. M. PHILLIPS,
M. q. SENNETT.
The machine is simple in construc.
lion. The working parts of the clean